The Dangers Of The Social Web

There is a quickly growing trend on the web that has gained a ton of coverage about why it is the “go to” tool where your business is concerned. And while it can be a very powerful tool to use to gain exposure for your business and it’s services, it needs to be done correctly and consistently. It’s not search engine optimization or search engine marketing that is causing recent growth, it’s using the social media side of the web.

Using social media to gain visibility on the web is a perfect avenue for any small business owner as the cost of entry is zero where dollars are concerned, it really requires only your time. You need to make sure though, that if you decide to go down the social media avenue that you are ready to do what is necessary to maintain your business’s image. Using Facebook and Twitter for example is a great way to get out the message that you’re having a limited time sale, and you can broadcast that out instantly to anyone following your posts or tweets. Therein lies one of the automatic problems though where social media is concerned, your follower base and how do/did you acquire them. If you’ve done your homework, and you’re genuinely active on the social web then you will easily attract a qualified audience, those who are interested in your products and services. Your ideal best case scenario for social media is to use it as just another means of conversation with your customer base, as it can allow for rapid problem solving if an issue should arise, and it can bring changed products and services to the fore front when needed.

There is however, a dark side to the social side of the web in the form of detractors, competitors, and sometimes there are just some users out to cause a fuss. When you’re confronted with these types of issues, it can very quickly paint a picture of what type of business owner you are to the rest of your audience, subscribed to your feeds or not. The quip that bad news travels fast is never more true than when you’re in the social space, and if you mishandle a customer or client interaction you can find your business on a slippery downward slope.

Here are just a few questions you need to ask yourself before you get your business involved in the circus that is known as the social web. If you find it difficult to answer the following questions, or you don’t have clear answers, then you and your business are not ready for the social side of the internet. And just because “everyone” is using social media to gain exposure, doesn’t mean it is required in your online profile, if the job isn’t handled correctly it can sink your business just as well as improve it.

Can we benefit from a social media presence?
How do we build our audience?
Who is going to work our social accounts?
How do we announce sales/service changes/updates on our social accounts?
How do we handle negative feedback on our social accounts?